My Protector and My Stalker
by Tenemur
Summary: Marinette walks home one night alone. Someone stops her and says that she is his. What will Marinette do about this stalker? Can she do it on her own or will she need help? Side note: Because I know that some stories on here never get finished, I want to let you know I will finish it. I just haven't decided yet on how I want it to end. I do not own Miraculous Ladybug.
1. Chapter 1

Marinette's Point of View

"This project is going to take forever." Adrian whined pushing back his chair.

I smiled. "Aren't you glad we started early?" I said, and thankfully, didn't stutter. I had a better control on that when I was focused on something like school work. Alya told me to pretend I was talking to her, but it only worked when I wasn't looking at him or thinking about it.

"Yeah. But I think we can be done for today. We got the outline done and know what we need to do and approximately how long each step is going to take. We should be able to come up with a schedule around all of my modeling and lessons to get it done on time. Shall we call it a night?" He asked and leaned forward so that I had to look at him.

"Uh, y-yeah. Good night calling… I mean. Sounds g-good." I smiled, mentally hitting myself.

Adrien smiled and started packing up his stuff. I mirrored his movements and we walked from the upstairs library of the school to the front steps. I adjusted my bag ready to walk home.

"Marinette, do you want a ride home? I didn't realize how late it got." Adrien asked. My mind went blank. He raised an eyebrow. "Marinette?"

I wanted to say yes, but I really didn't have time for all the questions I would get from my parents afterwards. I had to meet Chat Noir soon for patrol. If I didn't ride home with him, the conversation would be miniscule. "N-no. Thanks."

"Okay." Adrien leaned into me to give me a small hug. "Thanks again for being an awesome partner. I'll see you tomorrow."

I watched Adrien get into the nanny's car and drive off before I started walking. The air was chilly, but not too cold to walk in.

"Marinette," a little voice said from my bad. "You really should have let him take you home."

"He hugged me, Tikki." I looked down at my Kwami and saw her roll her eyes. "He said I was awesome." I felt the cheshire grin on my face before the hand.

I was suddenly pulled back into the darkness of an alley. He pushed me into the wall and momentarily removed his hand from my mouth.

"Tikki, sm... " I tried to transform, but his hand was on my mouth again before I could.

"How dare he touch you!" This strong man said in frustration. "No guy gets to touch you. Do you understand?!"

I could feel the fear start to set in. This guy was wearing a mask that prevented me from seeing his face. I had no idea what they guy was saying. When I didn't answer, his grip tightened. I winced in pain.

"You're mine! No one else can touch you. Tell me you understand." He uncovered my mouth awaiting my answer.

"I don't belong to you. I don't even know who you are." I turned my head to the exit of the alley and tried to yell, "Help!" But he was able to cover my mouth again before I could finish the word.

"I will teach you who you belong to, Marinette." His voice was eerily calm as he left go of my right arm.

I was about to try to get away when his fist collided with my right side of my stomach. I doubled over in pain. He took this chance to grab onto my hair and throw me to the ground. My head hit the ground hard and my vision had black spots dancing around.

Adrien Point of View

Chat was on his way over to his meeting spot to wait for his Lady. He knew he was early, but Adrien prefered to be out rather than stuck inside that house. Of course his father started complaining about his time management skills when he got home. Adrien just ignored him and said he had more homework to do as he went to his room.

Chat was close to the school when he heard a muffled yell. He usually wouldn't check it out, but something about the voice made him stop. He touched down on the sidewalk and started walking. As he approached an alley, he heard struggling and a man's voice.

When Chat looked down the alley, he saw a guy wearing a mask behind a dumpster. That's not a good sign. "You wouldn't happen to be dressed up for Halloween, would you?" The guy looked up and his entire demeanor changed. The guy quickly turned and started to run. Chat dropped his head and thought Yeah. I didn't think so. I just wanted some nice alone time with my… Chat's thoughts when blank when he saw the little pink purse on the ground by the dumpster he knew all too well.

"No." Chat said as he slowly started to walk around the dumpster. He lost his breathe when he saw Marinette laying on the ground groaning.


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette's Point of View

"Marinette!" I heard a voice yell my name and hands touched my shoulders before I snapped out of whatever daze I was in.

I quickly tried to get away from the hands that we on me when I looked into the green eyes of a different masked man. "Chat?"

Chat let out a breath he seemed to be holding in. "Princess, are you okay? What happened?"

I studied Chat. I couldn't tell it he was angry or extremely worried. Either way, I tried to calm him down with a lie. "The guy tried to rob me, but I only have school books on me so I think that probably made him mad. So he threw me to the ground."

Chat's face changed into an expression that I didn't recognize. "Well, he's gone now. Let's get you home. Are you sure you're alright?"

I nodded. "Yes. Just a bit dizzy."

Chat decided it would be faster and safer for him to carry me home across the rooftops. I tried my hardest to pretend nothing was wrong, but there was definitely a giant bruise on my side.

He dropped me off and I tried to show a strong smile, even though I knew I was shaking. "Thanks, Chat. I really appreciate it."

"You really shouldn't be walking home alone at night, Princess. Next time, let someone walk you home or give you a lift. Okay?"

My smile dropped at the concern in his voice and all I could do was nod. He gave me a small smile before disappearing into the night.

I slowly made my way to my room and laid on my bed. "Marinette, do you need ice or anything?"

"I'm not sure Tikki. I probably should go get some." I decided to lift my shirt to see if I could look at my bruise without getting up. I heard tikki gasp and she flew over to it. "Does it look that bad?"

"It's already turning purple," she said.

I pulled my shirt down giving up trying to look at it. That guy was telling me that I was "his". He even knew who I was. I questioned whether he's been watching me or not. If so, he saw Adrien hug me. That was why he was telling me guys weren't allowed to touch me. _Ugh! What am I going to do?_ It's not like I could go to the police. My parents would make a big deal about it and would never let me out of their sight again. It was settled. Once I find out more, I will let Ladybug handle it.

Adrien Point of View

After a patrol alone, Adrien returned to his room. He untransformed and started pacing around his room thinking about Marinette.

"You're making me dizzy and your stress is making me not enjoy my camembert…" Plagg whined from the couch.

"I just don't get it, Plagg. From what I know, Marinette is strong. Even if she was being robbed she wouldn't have been as scared as she was." Adrien ranted.

Plagg took a bite of camembert. "What makes you think she was scared?"

Adrien looked down at his hands. "She was shaking. Marinette was tense and I have this feeling that wasn't all that happened. I just don't know what to do. Every time I've talked to her about something in the past she has always seemed truthful. But tonight, she wasn't okay."

Plagg swallowed his last piece of cheese. "But was she truthful to you or to Chat? She doesn't really know Chat. He's just a superhero. Maybe you should go to her as Adrien and just give me more camembert."

Plagg had a point. Adrien decided he would try talking to Marinette as her friend tomorrow instead of as a superhero.

When Adrien finally crawled out of bed, he was exhausted. He was too worried about his friend to focus on anything but her, such as falling asleep. He talked his nanny into letting him walk to school. The morning was buzzing with people, but Adrien was trying to keep his mind busy by focusing on his paper for class this morning. He was rereading it to make sure that all of it made sense. Suddenly, the paper was snatched from his hands.

Adrien looked up to see a guy wearing a strange mask holding his paper. His hair was black. He seemed like he was akumatized, but he wasn't giving off the same vibe that Hawkmoths victims usually give.

"Excuse me," Adrien said, talking slow as he was unsure about the situation he was in. "That's my paper."

The guy smiled. "Well, then this makes us even." Adrien watched in bewilderment as he ripped the paper in half. "You touched something that was mine, now I touched something that was yours." He dropped the pages and walked away.

Adrien picked up the pages and turned to talk to the guy, but he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette Point of View

I woke up in the morning and rushed downstairs from breakfast. I was surprised when I saw a bouquet of flowers on the counter. I turned to my mother, who was taking care of dishes.

"What are these for?" I asked.

My mother smiled. "They are actually for you. Some sweet boy dropped them off this morning."

I looked over the flowers and saw a card in the middle. "Who did?" I asked confused.

My mother shrugged her shoulders. "He didn't give a name. He said he wanted to remain anonymous."

I opened the card and read the words _Marinette, I hope you understand what we talked about last night. Next time, I won't be as nice. I will see you again soon._ I tried hard not to shut down, but I could see my hand shaking that was holding the card.

"What did the card say?" I jumped as I looked to my mom. Thankfully, she was looking away from me.

"I don't have time to read it right now." I said quickly. "I'm going to be late to school."

I ran out, ignoring the protests from my side.

When I got to school, I was able to put all of that behind me so that I could act normal. I met Alya and Nino at the steps.

"Hi, Marinette." Alya said.

"Hi Alya, Nino." I said with a fake grin on my face.

"Hi Adrien." Nino said to someone behind me. I turned around to see a frustrated Adrien. "What's wrong, dude?"

Adrien looked up. "Some guy ripped my paper this morning." He said holding up his research paper that is due during class this morning.

"What do you mean?" Alya asked.

"This guy, I've never seen before, came up to me, said something about touching something of his and us being even now, and then he ripped my paper and disappeared." Adrien explained.

I went still.

"That's strange, dude." Nino said.

The conversation continued, but Adrien's words echoed in my head. It couldn't have been him. He shouldn't have gone after Adrien. Suddenly, I felt sick as I pulled out the piece of paper that was still in my pocket. _Next time, I won't be so nice._ Was he talking about what he did to me? Or about what he did to Adrien?

"Marinette?" I looked up to see my friends to see worried expressions. Alya continued. "You okay, girl? You look pale."

Marinette shoved the paper back into her pocket and tried to look like everything was okay. "Yeah. I forgot to finish the worksheet due today. I'm just going to go to class to finish it real quick." I could hear the guilt in my voice and I hoped they would write it off as being for the school work.

I left, but I think I heard someone follow me. My brain was going too fast and I couldn't think about that. I also couldn't think about the step that lead into the main area of the school. I was about to fall when a pair of arms wrapped around me waist. I quickly grabbed onto the part of his arm that was over my bruise. I tried to hold in a yelp of pain, but it didn't work.

I turned to look at Adrien and quickly pulled his hands off of me and looked around. Thankfully, no one was around.

"Marinette?" Adrien asked full of concern. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"N-no. I'm fine. I-I have to go." I ducked my head to run away, but he had other ideas. Adrien grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a nearby closet. "W-what…" I tried to ask, but his expression stopped me from talking. It was a look between mad and concerned.

"Marinette, you're not acting like yourself. You also seem injured. Please tell me what's going on." I opened my mouth to speak, but he continued talking before I could. "The truth please. I can't help you if you lie to me."

I started to get a little frustrated. I didn't need his help. I'm Ladybug. I can take care of it myself. I was about to tell him that - minus the Ladybug part - when the look in his eyes changed my mind. "Adrien, if I tell you, you might get hurt."

The anger faded from his demeanor. "Now you have to tell me."

I shuffled my feet until I finally decided that he should know so that he can stay away from me for his own good. But I was so scared to admit what happened that it came out in a blur. "I was walking home yesterday when someone grabbed me. He said I was his and I think he saw you hug me and said I wasn't allowed to let anyone else touch me that I was his. He asked me if I understood and when I said that I didn't belong to anyone. He…" I stuttered unable to get the words out, but knew I needed to force them out. "He said he needed to teach me a lesson. He punched me in the side and threw me to the ground. Chat Noir thankfully showed up and scared him off, but I got flowers at my house this morning from him and he was probably the one that ripped your paper. I'm so sorry." I felt tears coming into my eyes, but I tried to hold them back. "I don't want you mixed up in this so you should probably stay away from me."

I hadn't looked at Adrien while talking until I was done. When I looked up, his eyes were wide and his mouth slightly ajar. He swallowed before talking. "What did the note say?" His voice sounded strained, but I took it out of my pocket and showed it to him.

The silence was deafening and I fidgeted while he read it.

"Can I see?" he asked. I was about to ask what he meant, when I realized he was looking at my stomach.

I blushed and shyly raised my shirt to just above the bruise. Adrien's eyes widened as he reached out, but then retracted his hand.

Adrien Point of View

The bruise was black and purple. He hit her pretty hard and then sent her a note that next time he won't be as nice? _Who the hell was this guy and when was I going to be able to kick his ass?_ Marinette lowered her shirt and snapped him out of his inner debate. But what could he do? What could he say to make her feel better?

His eyes travelled to her hand and saw she was shaking again. Adrien said the only thing he could think of. "I'll try to stay away from you in public, but, Mari," he made her look at him. "If you need anything, you just tell me. That includes if you see him again. You call me and I will come get you. Okay?"

Marinette's eyes were wide. He saw her nod and it seemed like the only answer she could give. He looked out the closet door to make sure no one was there. Thankfully, the bell had already rung so no one was in the halls.

Adrien turned to Marinette. "You go to class. I have a paper to reprint." And with that, he walked away trying to uncurl his fists that formed at his side.

He did as he told Marinette he would do. He didn't touch her for the entire day. By the end of the day, he wasn't ready to let her walk home by herself again. As she was about to start walking, Adrien grabbed her wrist and lead her to the nanny's car.

"Adrien, what are you doing?" She asked resisting slightly.

He let go of her wrist as he opened the door of the car. "I'm just being a good friend and am offering a friend a ride home since it's going to rain." He turned to Alya and Nino. "Hey, Nino, Alya. You guys want a ride too?"

"Sure!" They said in unison.

When everyone was in the car, Nino and Alya got distracted by couple stuff, Adrien turned to Marinette and whispered in her ear. "I wasn't about to let you walk home by yourself, and this way he wouldn't suspect anything if he was watching."

He leaned back in his seat and saw Marinette smile. A real smile too. It was the first time that day that it didn't look forced.


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette Point of View

We ended up dropping Nino and Alya off at Alya's house first before he took me home. Once we got to my house, I got out of the car and mumbled a thank you to Adrien. He got out of the car with me and looked confused at the bakery.

"Why is the bakery dark? Isn't it usually open until around 7?" He asked.

I nodded. "Usually it is. But right now my parents are gone at a baking competition about two hours away."

I saw Adrien tense up. "So you're going to be home alone?" He tried to make it sound like a cool think, but I could hear the underlying concern in his voice. I nodded. "Me too. My dad is gone who knows where and Natile is taking a day or two off. So it's just me at my house. Anyway, I'll see you at school tomorrow."

He left and I watched as he pulled away wishing that I didn't have to be left alone. Then I turned around and went into the side door that lead straight to the part of the house. Before I could relax and focus on homework, I ran around the house and the bakery. I made sure that every latch and lock were secure and closed.

After that, I grabbed some ice for my bruise and sat down at my desk. When I opened up my computer, I saw I had an email. When I opened it, I blushed and get excited to see that it was from Adrien. _Marinette, If you didn't catch what I was trying to say, I thought I would send it to make sure you did. I am also home alone so if you don't feel safe alone you could always crash here. I could keep you safe. Adrien._

My red face got even redder. If the situation had been different, Marinette would have thought that he liked her, but she also knew that Adrien valued all of his friends, even ones like Chloe, and would do anything to make sure they were safe. He was just doing that for her. She smiled as she closed out her email and started on her homework.

After she was done, she got some dinner and ate outside. Tikki suddenly shivered.

"A message from Chat?" I asked her.

"Yeah. He wants you to know that there was a strange guy out last night and to be careful on patrol. He said he was going to check around your, Marinette's, place to make sure he wasn't lurking around." Tikki said. Then she hid. I was confused until I heard a clunk from the railing.

I turned around to see a smiling Chat. "Hello, Princess. What are you doing outside? It's purr-tty chilly out here."

I rolled my eyes at his pun. "Just getting some fresh air."

I saw a flash of concern on Chat's face as he looked me over and then returned to his smiling expression as he looked her in the eyes. "I just wanted to let you know looks like no creeps are around." I looked at him confused. "The robber. I wanted to make sure you were safe. You seemed a little shook up last night."

I relaxed. It really did make me feel better that Chat hadn't seen anyone lurking around. "Thank you, Chat. Oh. Ladybug stopped by just a minute ago." His black ears perked up at the mention of her name. "She wanted to make sure that I was okay. She also wanted me to tell you, if I saw you, that she was going to do a quick patrol, but she wasn't able to stay out long."

"M'lady was here?" Chat asked and looked around. After not being able to see any sign of her, he returned his attention to me. "Well, looks like your a lucky girl. You've got both superheroes looking after you. I will take one more look around before I finish my patrol. Goodnight, Princess."

"Goodnight, Chat." I said as he leapt off and swung his baton to keep him in the air. I decided to quickly clean up dinner and head to bed.

I tossed and turned all night before finally falling into a deep sleep. It was a dreamless sleep, until I felt a hand slide down my arm. Half-asleep, I thought it might have been my mom, but then I realized she was still gone. My eyes shot wide open and I saw the same eyes from last night. I was so scared I couldn't move.

"Ah, your awake." His voice wasn't as mad as it was the night before. He was wearing all black and a different mask. It looked more like a mask that one of Hawkmoths victims would wear, but there wasn't an akuma on him that I could sense. "You were so good today that I thought I would reward my pet." He kissed my cheek and held my head still as he moved his lips farther down my neck.

I tried to think of what I could do. I was completely alone. Tikki was with me, but she was probably hiding. I couldn't let this guy know who I was, which meant I couldn't transform. My body seized in pain as his hand moved to my right side and squeezed where the bruise was. I yelped in pain. He lifted his disgusting lips from my skin and wasn't smiling anymore.

"Does it still hurt?" His mischievous smile returned. "How about I kiss it all better?"

He lowered his head to my side and I could feel his hand start to go up my shirt. That's when my body was able to move again. I kneed him right between his rib cage and knocked the wind out of him. Next, I pulled as much of my inner Ladybug strength as I could and rolled him off my bed and onto the floor. He grunted as he made contact with the floor. I jumped over the railing near my bed and hissed as I hit the ground below my bed, but I didn't have time. I had to start running. I ran down the stairs of the bakery and into an alley nearby. I checked to make sure he wasn't following me yet and felt Tikki fly out of my pajama pocket.

"Marinette, are you okay? I tried waking you up when he showed up at your window, but you wouldn't…"

"Not now Tikki." I interrupted her. "Spots on!"

Tikki was sucked into my earrings as I transformed into Ladybug. I took out my yoyo and sung as far away from my house as I could. I didn't even realize where I was going until I stopped in an alley outside of Adrien's house.

"Spots off." I whispered and dropped my Ladybug transformation.

I looked around to make sure there was no one around and started to run over to Adrien's house. Before I took more than two steps, the bruise on my right side started to throb. I placed my hand over the bruise and walked as fast as I could. I pressed the doorbell at his gate. No response. _Come on, Adrien… _I pressed the doorbell again and looked at my surroundings. I thought I saw a coupe shadows move, but I couldn't tell if there was actually someone in them or if it was my paranoid imagination. I rang the bell one more time.

Finally, I heard static some from the mic and relief flooded through me. "Marinette? Are you okay?" I tried to say no, but all I could do was shake my head. "Come in. I'll be right down." He said as the gate opened.


	5. Chapter 5

Adrien Point of View

He stayed out longer than he should have, but he needed to be sure that the guy wasn't roaming around. He handed into his room through his window and noticed a beeping noise. At first, he thought it was his ring.

"Claws in." He said and released his Chat Noir transformation.

Plagg plopped on the couch tired. "If you are going to stay transformed that long, that fridge better be restocked with camembert."

Adrien smiled. "Why don't you check it before you complain?"

Adrien watched the little kwami light up with excitement as he flew to the fridge. Then, Adrien heard the beeping sound again. He looked up and realized it was the doorbell. Adrien saw the time was almost 2 am as he opened up the camera that was attached to the doorbell. His breath caught when he saw a frantic Marinette at his door. But how could she be here? I was just at her house a little big ago and she was sleeping safe and sound.

He pressed the com button. "Marinette, are you okay?" I asked. I saw her fragile head shake and I pressed the button one more time. "Come in. I'll be right down."

I immediately ran down stairs and opened the front door. She came inside and she was pale. I went to put my arms around her but she cowered from my touch. _That's it. I'm going to kill this guy._

I brought her up to my room and had her sit on the couch. She had to be cold, the night air had even been cold in his Chat Noir costume. He grabbed her a blanket and sat down next to her.

"Marinette?" He asked gentle. She looked at him with a frozen expression. "What happened? Can you tell me?"

"He got into my room. I'm not sure how though. I had all the doors and windows locked up." Marinette said seeming numb.

Adrien knew that was true. He checked them all himself as Chat Noir. He didn't say anything, just continued to look at her with an encouraging expression.

"I woke up and h-he was in my b-bed." Adrien saw her shiver.

_Definitely going to kill him._ "What did he do?" Adrien pressed.

"N-not much. At first, I was too scared to move, but when he squeezed my bruise a-and started lifting m-my shirt. I snapped of it. I-I kneed him, pushed him off of my bed, and was able to get away." Adrien could see the tears in her eyes. "I didn't even realize I was running here until I got here. I-I'm sorry if I woke you up."

Adrien shook his head. "I was distracted by something. It took me a minute to answer the doorbell. Don't be sorry." Adrien paused as he saw the junk that was on his bed. "Just let me clean off my bed and change, and then I will get you some ice and some tea to help you sleep."

Marinette's face turned red. "Y-your b-bed? N-no I can't sleep i-in your b-bed."

"Marinette, just go lay down and try to get some sleep. I will sleep on the couch and make sure that the alarm is fully activated," Adrien said.

He didn't understand what the big deal was for her to sleep in his bed. Adrien knew he was frustrated and he didn't mean to take it out on her. He wanted her to be safe, and he blamed himself, or Chat, for not being able to protect her earlier. He had to of been close by and got in somehow right after he left. He ran downstairs to get ice and some tea. He hoped that he hadn't been wrong about this guy being akumatized. If he did have hawkmoth behind him, who knows what he was capable of.

After checking the alarm system, he made his way upstairs. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Marinette sleeping in his bed. He took a sip of the tea and saw Plagg over by the bed.

"Plagg, what are you doing?" Adrien whispered. "You should be hidden."

Plagg quickly flew away from where he was with red cheeks. "Oh, come on. She's asleep. It's not like she was going to see me." Plagg said, acting guilty.

Adrien frowned at him. "You need to be more careful. Marinette can't find out. She's already in enough danger as it is."


	6. Chapter 6

The next day

Marinette Point of View

I got into the car and knew that bags were under my eyes. Adrien said that his driver would drop us off at my place so that I could get ready for school, but I didn't feel like school today. I wanted so badly to crawl back into my covers and go back to sleep. Then, the image of that guy in my bed popped into my head. On second thought, school sounded pretty good.

I looked over to Adrien who seemed to be deep in thought. I felt bad that I got him involved in all of this. I didn't understand any of it. I looked down at my hands and for some reason, they looked weak. What is wrong with me? I'm Ladybug. I kick butt every day. Some random human guy shouldn't be able to scare me. I needed to be able to protect myself. My mind flashed back to the two times I encountered him. I watched my hands start to shake. Why am I so good at protecting other people, but I can't protect myself?  
We got to my house and Adrien's nanny dropped us off at the back door. Adrien immediately sat at the counter and pulled out his phone.

He looked up at me with a smile. "I'll be right here. If you need anything, just yell for me and I'll be there."

I nodded and got ready as fast as I could. As I was getting ready, I realized the window above my bed was open. I carefully investigated it in case I wasn't alone. It looked like the lock was broken from the outside. I closed it and latched it, before heading downstairs. As we walked to school, I kept looking around.

"We're fine. I don't think he's the type to pick a fight out in the open. He's only approached both of us when we were alone." Adrien said. He sounded so encouraging, but it still made me worry.

I followed him into the classroom and as soon as I took my breath of relief, an annoying blonde burst into the classroom.

"Adrikins, tell me, is it true?" Chloe yelled. She stomped her foot and crossed her arms when she made it to his desk.

"Hi Chloe. What are you talking about?" Adrien asked.

"That Marinette Dorken-Chang is bullying you?" She gave me a glare when she said that.

"What? Marinette wouldn't do that! She's the nicest person I know." Rose yelled from behind me.

"Well, I was outside and saw them walk in together. I was about to storm up, when a guy told me what was going on. He said that your the one that ripped up his paper yesterday and that you forced him to give you a ride home yesterday. He said that Adirikins was so scared to be alone with you that he told the other two to go with you." Everyone was silent. "Well? Is it true?"

Adrien turned to me and I was at a loss for words. Adrien sighed as he looked back to Chloe. "Listen, Marinette would never bully me, and the fact that you would believe some stranger, that really disappoints me Chloe." With that, he sat down and opened up his school books.

Chloe approached me next. "If I find out that any part of what that guy told me is true, you will be in a world of hurt."

The whispers around me did something to me. My fear turned into anger. I ran out of the room as Mrs. Busie came into the room. I ran straight to the entrance of the school and found him in his mask leaning against the lamp post near the street.

I approached him with my fists clenched at my side.

Adrien's Point of View

Adrien went to follow Marinette, but Mrs. Busie stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going, Mr. Agrest?" She crossed her arms and stood in front of him.

"Well, Chloe said something that upset Marinette. I just want to make sure she's okay and bring her back to class." Adrien smiled through his concern.

Mrs. Busie sighed and moved aside. "Come back quickly, please. Whatever you miss of the lesson you will have to get the notes from a classmate."  
Adrien nodded and ran towards the front of the school. He could hear voices when he got to the front entrance.

"If you want me to stop causing problems, all you have to do is come with me." Adrien really wanted to barge out the entrance and punch the guy in the face, but he knew he needed to wait. This was Marinette's fight. He would only step in when she needed him. "If you just continue standing there fuming, I could always go after the Agrest boy. I wonder if he takes a punch as well as you do."

Adrien peaked around the corner and saw him standing next to the street and Marinette was standing about five feet away from him with her fists clenched.

"What I want is for you to leave my friends alone. They have nothing to do with this." Marinette spoke, but he could hear how uncertain she was.

The creep laughed. "I'll give you one more chance. Come with me or you'll get punished." He took one step towards her and that was all it took.

Adrien looked around and opened his shirt as Plagg flew out. "Plagg, claws out!" He transformed into Chat Noir and used his baton to get to the roof of the school. That way it looked like he came from over the school and not from inside.

He jumped in front of Marinette and glared at the guy. He heard Marinette gasp. "How about I give you one chance. Leave Marinette alone."

The guy showed slight fear, but he was more irritated than afraid. "You can't have her Chat Noir. She's mine." The creep turned his attention back to Marinette. "You've been warned."

The guy walked away and Chat Noir saw red. He was about to attack the guy when he felt a slight pull on his tail. He looked back to see his Princess almost in tears.

"It's not worth it." She didn't even look at him as she let go and slowly walked inside the school.

Adrien quickly de-transformed and ran into the school. He reached the classroom right as Marinette walked in an took her seat.

He watched her throughout the day, but she barely talked to anyone. By the end of the day, Adrien was ready to give them all a ride home again when Alya pulled Marinette to the side.


	7. Chapter 7

Marinette's Point of View

We were leaving the school when Alya grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the guys' hearing range.

"Alright, girl, spill. I know something's up." Alya said. I wanted to tell her everything, but I didn't want her involved. It was already bad enough that Adrien knew everything.

"Its nothing." I said and gave her the best fake smile I could. "I've just been tired today."

She knew it was a lie. Alya always knew, but she sighed instead of getting mad. "Well, whatever it is. When your ready, I'll be here. But in the meantime, I'm glad you at least have Adrien helping you." When she said that, my eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I looked over at Adrien wondering if he told her what happened.

Alya saw where my gaze was focused. "No, he didn't tell me what happened. Nino and I asked him what was up, but he just told us that you had some stuff going on that you didn't want anyone to know. He told us that he basically forced it out of you."

"Oh." My panicked mind started to calm down. "When did he tell you that?"

"In between classes. We wanted to know if everything was okay after he found you and brought you back to the classroom." Alya said.

But that wasn't right. Adrien got back to the classroom after I did. "Adrien didn't bring me back."

Alya's brows creased. "Hm, girl, that's not what he said. He said that you just needed fresh air away from the blonde bimbo, and that he found you outside. Was that wrong?"

I thought for a second. Adrien wasn't one to lie. I didn't see him at all. Actually, I should have passed him on my way back to the classroom, but I didn't. He came in behind me. The only person that was out there with me and that guy was… My mind froze. It wouldn't let me think my next thought, but lying to Alya about this was small compared to all the Ladybug lies I told.

"Oh. No. He didn't find me, but he saw me walking back as I came back in from outside. He was right though. I just needed to get away." I smiled again and she nodded curiously before joining the others in Adrien's car.

I watched Adrien as everyone joked around. When we dropped Alya and Nino off at Alya's house, I tried to keep myself from looking at Adrien, but I couldn't. Both of their eyes were green, they had the same hair color. The only thing that was different was their mannerisms. Adrien was so conservative unlike Chat, who was always loud, flirtatious, and always making puns. I wasn't sure if it was my mind trying to convince my otherwise, but I just couldn't see it.

I didn't realise we stopped until Adrien gave me a strange look. I looked out the window and saw that we were at my house. I went to get out of the car when Adrien grabbed my wrist.

"Did you hear me, Marinette?" I turned back to see that Adrien was worried.

"Um, n-no. What did you say?" I asked.

"I said that you can stay at my house for one more night. My father and Natilie will be home tomorrow. So, if you wanted to just grab a bag, we can wait for you."

I wanted to say yes with my entire being, but I had something to do. "No. I can stay here. I think I'll be okay."

His eyes widened. "But Marinette…"

"Thank you, Adrien. I'll be fine on my own for tonight." With that I got out of the car, and walked inside.

I didn't know what I was going to do. I've tried so hard to be strong, but I couldn't be Marinette right now. I needed to be Ladybug. When I made it up to my room and setting things up, Tikki flew out of my bag.

"Marinette, you should have taken Adrien's offer. He can help keep you safe." She insisted.

"I know Tikki, but I can't put him in harm's way. If this goes wrong, Paris will need him. I'll need him." I said.

Tikki's eyes widened. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

I turned to her. "I know you know who Chat Noir is from the time we fought the Dark Owl. I'm pretty sure it's Adrien. I don't want you to confirm or deny it. In order to do what I have to, I need to have a clear mind. Thinking of whether they are the same person or not isn't going to help me right now. But I do need you. Will you help me Tikki?"

Her facial expression relaxed. "Of course I will, Marinette. Tell me what you need me to do."

I filled Tikki in on my plan as I made sure that all of the window shades were closed and all of the lights were on. I locked every entrance except for the window above my bed, which was broken. Then I made a makeshift Marinette in my bed with blankets and pillows. Once I was finished, I grabbed a thick blanket and snuck my way onto the roof. I crawled behind the chimney and covered myself with the blanket.

"Tikki spots on." I whispered. In seconds, I was covered in my protective Ladybug gear.

I sent a message to Chat. _Go to Marinette's. Check the perimeter and leave. Don't go inside._

I waited for a response. I was still covered with a blanket so that I wouldn't be seen. Chat responded immediately. _She's unprotected in that house. Is she there? Or did you take her somewhere safe?_

I texted back. _She's here, but she's safe. I just need you to listen to me. I need you to check on Adrien after that. I learned from Marinette that he's a target too._

All Chat sent me was a thumbs up. I waited and watched as Chat came around. After he left, I got a message. _No one around Marinette's. Adrien is also safely locked in his house. What's next?_

I closed my yoyo without replying to him. Then, I heard the creek of the fire escape. I watched as the masked creep made his way over the edge of the roof and down into my room. I swung away, but I still heard him shout in rage. I decided to stop by Adrien's house. I knew that I said I didn't want to know, but I lied to myself. I swung into his open window and searched the room. There was no sign of him.

My heart ached as I swung away from his house and to the police station. When I walked inside I saw Chat was waiting in the lobby. I gave him a confused look when he saw me.

Chat jumped up with a smile. "We've been working together for how long? I figured you'd have a plan to catch this guy and if you did you'd eventually come here to inform them of what was going on."

I should have known. I wanted to ask if he talked to the police, but that didn't come out. "Adrien was safe when you checked on him?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. He had the alarms on and said he would stay put in case we needed him."

I nodded, but I knew he was lying to me.

We informed the police about what was going on and exited the Station. We were walking down the street when he stopped me.

"M'Lady, please share the plan with me. I trust you, but I also want to help. I feel like I'm in the dark on this one and I really want to make sure that Marinette is safe." He said.

I sighed. "We're going to catch him, but we need bait. He's already realized that Marinette isn't home. He'll probably check Adrien's house next. We're going to wait there, and since he won't be able to find Adrien, he'll be pissed and come after us. Then, we take him into the police." I explained. It sounded a lot easier said than done, but as Ladybug, I hoped that I could be strong enough when the time came to fight him.

Adrien's Point of View

When Ladybug finished the plan, I realized that her wording was strange. "What do you mean that he won't be able to find Adrien?"

"I know he's not home, Chat. But I also know he's safe. Now, are you ready? I want to get this over with." Ladybug said. Chat watched her, but didn't understand how she would know that. He followed her with his baton as she landed in front of Adrien's house. He saw the guy standing there with a dagger in his hand, but there was something different about him.

Chat studied him and realized he could sense evil in him. He's been akumatized.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir, let me introduce myself. I am Lich. Tell me where she is and I won't kill you when I take your Miraculous." He said.

I turned to Ladybug and saw her take a step back. She seemed to be scared, but Chat didn't understand why. "Ready, M'Lady?"


	8. Chapter 8

Marinette's Point of View

I turned to Chat. I nodded. I tried to look strong, but I could feel the fear creep into my veins.

"It has to be in his mask. It's the only thing he's had on him this entire time." I said and he nodded before went in to attack.

I took a deep breath and joined him, but this guy was fast. He dodged my attack and somehow I hit Chat. Lich attacked Chat after I pulled my yo-yo back. He went flying. I went to make sure he was okay when I was grabbed and thrown against a wall.

Before I could recover, his hand was around my neck. "Where did you hide her?! I want what is mine!"

I reached for my yo-yo and he saw. He grabbed my yo-yo forcefully and yanked it away. I yelped in pain, but I realized too late that I showed more pain than I should have. Lich's eyes widened as he looked down at my side. He grabbed onto my side with enough pressure that it wouldn't hurt a normal person, but with the bruise that still hasn't healed, it hurt like hell. I winced in pain. I watched as a wicked smile grew on his face. "Found you."

I started to panic as Chat's baton came down on the back of Lich's head. He let me go and I ran next to Chat. "Don't lay your hands on my Ladybug." Chat went in again without thinking. "Cataclysm!" He yelled.

Chat got within a centimeter from the mask when Lich grabbed Chat's wrist. Lich smiled and turned Chat around so that he could use Chat's hand as a weapon to keep him still.

"No!" I yelled as I started to approach him.

"Come with me and he won't be harmed." Lich said. He was thinking he won. He knew I wouldn't let him hurt my partner.

Adrien's Point of View

He watched as his Lady walked towards him. There was an eerie calm about her and he didn't like it. _Why does this guy want her? _He thought.

"No, Ladybug, run!" Chat yelled but she didn't listen. He could feel Lich laughing behind him.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Ladybug got close to him and whispered in Chat's ear. "I'm sorry, Adrien." Chat's eyes widened, but before he could say anything she kissed him.

Suddenly, Chat felt weak. Then, he felt why. His hand was on Ladybug's chest. She fell backwards and landed on the ground with a sickening _thunk._ There was a black mist around where his hand was. The guy behind him started to yell.

"No! Why Marinette?!" He ran to Ladybug's still body and hugged her. He was still yelling something but it was inaudible.

Chat felt numb. So much was going through his head that he couldn't grab at one thought. But something inside Chat made him move. He grabbed Lich's mask off of his face when he was too busy crying over Ladybug's body and smashed it. The butterfly started to fly away when Chat grabbed the yo-yo, used Ladybug's finger to open it, and shoved the butterfly in it. When the deed was done, he walked back to the guy and knocked him unconscious. He turned back to Ladybug and lifted her into his arms and made his way to his room. He didn't realize tears were streaming down his face until he dropped his transformation.

Plagg few right in front of his face. "She's gonna be fine, Adrien."

"H-how? I hit her with my cataclysm. I'm surprised she isn't already ash." He cried.

"But she's Ladybug. It's like shooting a person with a bullet proof vest. It probably hurt a lot and will leave a bruise, but you're not going to lose her." Plagg explained.

Adrien watched as Ladybug's transformation wore off and a sleeping Marinette took her place. All Adrien could do was stare at her. He saw Marinette in the exact place that Ladybug was, but his brain wasn't processing it. Marinette: the girl that sat behind him in class every day. The girl that won't stick up for herself, but will defend others without thinking. The girl who was always smiling. The girl that was awkward and clumsy. The girl that guy hurt. That girl was his Ladybug.

"Plagg. I need you to transform me." Adrien said. His fists were clenched at his side.

"Uh," Plagg flew in front of his face. "I can't. I still haven't recovered my strength from the last one."

"Well, hurry up and eat some cheese! I need to go after that guy!" Adrien was yelling at Plagg and didn't notice Marinette wake up.


	9. Chapter 9

Marinette Point of View

I heard yelling and I started to open my eyes. I blinked a few times as what just happened played out in my head. I started to sit up, but hissed at the pain on my chest. I heard a gasp and looked up. Adrien was looking at me with wide eyes and a small cat Kwami was flying next to him.

"Tikki!" I frantically started searching next to me for my Kwami. When I finally found her, I started to move towards her even though it hurt.

"Marinette," Adrien's voice was small as he rested his hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

I looked up at him. "We need Master Fu." I said.

The cat Kwami flew over to me. "No, she'll be fine. She's just over exhausted. Adrien grab her some sweets. There should be some cookies in Marinette's purse." He said. Adrien looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What? While you two are focused on your studies, I sneak over to see my friend."

Adrien looked at me and I nodded. He grabbed the cookies and Tikki started to eat. She explained to me how I was still alive. I called the police and told them where to find Lich. Adrien said that he was probably still there since he thought Chat Noir killed me.

I looked at Adrien. I had time to process that it was him before I decided to save him by using his cataclysm on myself. Kissing him was my way to tell him I loved him before I died. Wait. I didn't die. My face started heating up and I looked away from Adrien.

"I-I'm sorry about k-kissing you. I didn't think I w-would have survived your cataclysm." I said.

"Don't ever do anything like that again." His voice was so stern that it made me flinch. I looked at expecting to see anger, but instead, I saw an emotion I only ever saw in Chat. "M'Lady." He lightly grabbed my hand and kissed it. "I thought I lost you." He looked back up at me. "So how did you figure out it was me?"

"I, uh, I… You lied to Alya about finding me when I went after Lich. I didn't even see you, but Chat was there. I also realized that you didn't even ask me if I was okay, meaning you probably knew what happened. I also checked your room after you told me that 'Adrien' was safe at home." I rambled.

Adrien laughed. "Yeah. I guess I made a couple of mistakes there. Thankfully, it was only you that figured it out, Bug-a-Boo." He wrapped his arms around me softly.

I laughed with him. "So your not disappointed?"

Adrien tilted his head. "Huh? What would I be disappointed about?"

"That I'm Ladybug."

Adrien's eyes widened. "No way. Marinette, after learning that you're Ladybug, I felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. Even with the mask on, you're still Marinette. You've been the girl I'm in love with the whole time, and I just didn't realize it."

"Wait, you… you really love me?" I asked. I could feel a tightening in my chest like my heart just exploded. His face turned red as he nodded. "I love you too." I smiled. I leaned in and kissed him a second time, but instead of thinking it was the end, I knew that it was only the beginning.

The End

Hope you liked it!


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